May 24, 2010 -- An environmental group is once again questioning the
effectiveness and safety of top-selling sunscreens, claiming that many contain
potentially hazardous ingredients and make exaggerated claims.

In its fourth annual Sunscreen Guide, the Environmental Working Group (EWG)
evaluated 500 sunscreens and found only 8% to be acceptable.

EWG Senior Vice President for Research Jane Houlihan called most of the
best-selling sunscreens in the U.S. "the equivalent of modern-day snake oil,"
claiming they do not protect as well as they say they do and may be dangerous.

The group is specifically warning against high-SPF sunscreens, which Houlihan
says promote a false sense of security for users. The EWG also warns against
products that have little or no protection against ultraviolet A (UVA) rays and
products that contain the vitamin A derivative retinyl palmitate, which has been
linked to the accelerated growth of skin lesions in some lab animal studies.

Representatives for the sunscreen industry strongly disputed the group's
claims, and a dermatologist interviewed by WebMD called the claims
unsubstantiated.

"EWG is kind of the Chicken Little of the sunscreen arena," St. Petersburg,
Fla., dermatologist James Spencer, MD, tells WebMD. "There is no evidence that
the active ingredients in sunscreens are dangerous. These are products used by
millions of people every day. There is real danger all around us, and one very
real danger is skin cancer and
skin aging from sun exposure."

Mineral Sunscreens Best, Group Says

Once again this year, the sunscreens recommended by the EWG all contained the
minerals zinc or titanium as their active ingredient.

Although more and more products are including these minerals in their
formulations to boost their UVA protection, Houlihan tells WebMD that the vast
majority of best-selling brands are not mineral based.

She says about 60% of sunscreens contain the chemical ingredient oxybenzone,
which the EWG considers unsafe because of concerns that it can penetrate the
skin and disrupt hormone balance.

None of the recommended products contained oxybenzone or vitamin A and none
was sprayed on or powdered. Spray- and powder-based sunscreens are easily
inhaled and can enter the bloodstream through the lungs, Houlihan says.

The group looked at 500 sunscreens and recommended just 39, including three
by the small New Hampshire skin care company Badger and three from the company
Soleo Organics.

The top-selling sunscreen brands tended to be the poorest rated, with none of
the market leaders considered to be both safe and effective by the EWG.

The EWG's top picks included:

Badger Sunscreen for Face and Body, SFP 30

California Baby, Sunblock Stick, SPF 30+

Loving Naturals Sunscreen, SPF 30+

Purple Prairie Botanicals SunStuff, SPF 30

Soleo Organics All Natural Sunscreen, SPF 30+

Jason Natural Sunbrellas, SPF 30+

Houlihan acknowledged that consumers may have to search for many of these
products because they don't tend to be sold by major retailers.

"You won't find most of them at CVS or Target or Wal-Mart," she says.

Although not recommended by the group, several best-selling sunscreens did
score higher than others and were considered the best choices among the chemical
sunscreens evaluated.

They included:

Bull Frog Ultimate Sheer Projection, SPF 30

Coppertone ultraGUARD, SPF 15

La Roche-Posay Water Resistant Sunscreen Cream, SPF 15

Sunscreen Industry Responds

Rather than relying on sunscreens alone for protection from the sun, the EWG
recommends avoiding sun exposure entirely during peak hours and wearing
protective clothing whenever possible.

"The longer we examine sunscreen the more we favor the message that hats,
shirts, and shade are the very best sunscreens of all," Houlihan says.

In an interview with WebMD, Lisa Powers, a spokeswoman for the sunscreen
industry group Personal Care Products Council (PCPC), called the EWG report
"reckless."

"I would hate to think of a parent not using sunscreen on their child based
on the baseless claims in this report, when the science on the dangers of sun
exposure, especially in childhood, is so solid," Powers says.

PCPC Chief Scientist John Bailey, PhD, called "ridiculous" the EWG claim that
sunscreens don't provide adequate protection against the sun because people
rarely use them as recommended.

According to the EWG report, a 100 SPF product typically protects more like
an SPF 3 because people tend to use far less sunscreen than they should and
reapply it less often than recommended.

"This is just a ludicrous charge," Bailey tells WebMD. "I don't know how they
came up with this."

The industry representatives agree with the environmental group on one thing,
however: that long-awaited changes in sunscreen labeling by the FDA will help
consumers better understand the difference between sunscreens.

For the first time, sunscreen manufacturers will be required to provide
information on the amount of UVA screening provided by their products.

UVA rays do not cause sunburns, but they do contribute to skin cancer and
sun-related skin aging.

The new regulations are also expected to prohibit manufacturers from claiming
SPF of more than 50+.

A spokeswoman for the FDA tells WebMD that the finalized guidelines should be
made public later this year.